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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The punchline isn't at the top of the ranking — it's in the middle. Raleigh: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Raleigh earns above the national median ($82,424 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 92 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it…
The punchline isn't at the top of the ranking — it's in the middle. Raleigh: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Raleigh earns above the national median ($82,424 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 92 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. That's a number worth sharing with anyone who says affordable cities can't have good jobs.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 9 cities across North Carolina on rent, cost of living, and population. Raleigh ($1,567/mo, 482,295 residents) ranks #1 (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
The #1 spot goes to Raleigh, and the breakdown explains why. And as far as the data shows, renters here pay $1,567/month — saving renters $3,936 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 92, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. At a 23% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
For all that, there's a counter-signal worth noting: State context matters: North Carolina's 9 cities average a 91 cost index with $1,552/month — a detail that tends to get overlooked — median rent and $74,175 household income. Research Triangle tech boom meets Appalachian affordability. Stay with us through the data sources — knowing where these numbers come from changes how you trust them.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Raleigh — cost index 92, rent $1,567/mo, income $82,424
Raleigh: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Singles scoring: rent $1,567/mo (solo housing), cost index 92, population 482,295 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh | 92 | $1,567 | Details |
| 2 | Greensboro | 81 | $1,382 | Details |
| 3 | Durham | 96 | $1,651 | Details |
| 4 | Winston-Salem | 84 | $1,445 | Details |
| 5 | Fayetteville | 83 | $1,426 | Details |
| 6 | Cary | 96 | $1,649 | Details |
| 7 | Wilmington | 98 | $1,670 | Details |
| 8 | High Point | 86 | $1,469 | Details |
| 9 | Charlotte | 100 | $1,705 | Details |
482,295 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Raleigh's numbers: cost index 92 (19 points below national average), rent $1,567/month, income $82,424, and a home price of $428,831. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 92, while Healthcare runs 98. With 482,295 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
302,296 residents · North Carolina
The #2 spot goes to Greensboro, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,382/month — we had to double-check this one — — saving renters $6,156 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 81, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 96. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
296,186 residents · North Carolina
Durham earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 96 cost index sits 15 points below the national baseline, and the $79,234 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $393,151 — $74,219 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 96, while Healthcare trails at 99.
252,975 residents · North Carolina
The #4 spot goes to Winston-Salem, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,445/month — worth pausing on — — saving renters $5,400 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 84, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. That alone makes it worth considering. The 30% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
209,749 residents · North Carolina
Why Fayetteville ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. And more often than not, at 83 on the cost index, residents save roughly 28% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,426/month while the median household pulls in $56,395/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 83, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $222,766 — $244,604 below the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to singles. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in North Carolina by this personalized metric. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Raleigh ranks #1 in North Carolina for this analysis with a cost index of 92 and median income of $82,424.
Raleigh scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,567/mo, and above-average median income of $82,424.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Raleigh (ranked #1) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo, while Charlotte (ranked #9) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,705/mo — a 8-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Raleigh is $1,567/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $328 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Raleigh is $428,831, which is 5.2× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
North Carolina has a 4.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.98%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.7%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.